


This love came back to me

by pepethehobbit



Series: This love came back to me [1]
Category: SKAM (Netherlands), WTFock | Skam (Belgium)
Genre: AU, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Back Together, M/M, School Dance, School Reunion, Very american, Yearning, a little bit of angst maybe, but also very cute if I do say so myself, get yourself together, like Lucas, not really tho, so much, very cliche, very unrealistic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25251655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepethehobbit/pseuds/pepethehobbit
Summary: Jens and Lucas share a long awaited kiss on graduation night but have to say goodbye to each other for what they think will be forever.Five years later, Lucas moves back to Antwerp for a job and gets an invitation to their school reunion party that leaves him hoping for another chance with the boy who wouldn't leave his thoughts even after all this time apart.
Relationships: Jens Stoffels/Lucas van der Heijden
Series: This love came back to me [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896772
Comments: 5
Kudos: 63





	This love came back to me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello guys, 
> 
> this is as cliche as it sounds and so unrealistic that I thought about just not writing it. But I like the concept of reunions and I also happen to like cliches, so I did anyway.  
> I hope you enjoy the story and as always, if you have feedback, please, please tell me. 
> 
> Oh and the title is of course not from me, but by the lovely Taylor Swift in her song "This Love".

When Lucas got the invitation he didn’t know what to do. His time in Antwerp during those last months of high school is not something he looks back on particularly fond. He was way too stressed, didn’t really make any friends, had to live with his father for four month and basically just spend his whole time studying just so he could even finish high school. There was one person though, that made his time in Antwerp better. He was the reason that when he looked back at his time in high school it’s not only made up of stress filled memories but ones filled with laughter, lunches, bus rides and a first kiss that still makes Lucas’s heart yearn for him. More often than he likes to admit. 

So when he got the invitation for their five year high school reunion party he was pretty torn. Apart from not knowing that these kind of events even exited outside of American stereotypes, he didn’t feel like he would be welcomed there. After all, he only joined their class four month before graduation. But the person who organized it still sent him one, so someone must have remembered him and wants him to be there. The thing is, he is kind of overwhelmed by that voice in his head that immediately started screaming: “This is your chance. This is your chance of seeing him again.” Because even after five years he’s apparently incapable of letting Jens go. After debating with himself for a couple of days he finally made a decision. He sent back the confirmation that he would attend and marked the day in his calender. 

Still Lucas can’t help but feel kind of ridiculous. Jens is the only reason he’ll be attending. What if he won’t even be there? What if he thinks these kind of events are stupid? Or worse, what if he is attending but doesn’t remember Lucas anymore? While Lucas knows that this is highly unlikely he can’t be sure that Jens remembers their moment as clearly as he does. Or if he even looks back at their moment as a fond memory or rather one filled with regret. They were pretty high and drunk that night. While all these question pile in his head he can’t help but think back to these four months he spent in Antwerp.

The thing is, Lucas changed school at literally the worst timing. Apparently there really wasn’t any way he could’ve finished his last year of high school in Utrecht, or so his father said. Lucas would have been fine with living in a flat with some room mates or to just stay with Kes until the end of the school year, but his father made him come with him. And he couldn’t do anything about it because he was still just seventeen. He only stayed in Antwerp for four months and only concentrated on school just so he’d even have a chance of graduating. He didn’t really have any time for parties or friends. Everyone knew each other already anyway. He was the weird guy who changed school at the last minute and couldn’t really integrate. 

There was one guy though, in his history class. He always tried to talk to Lucas, he offered his help, not just for history, but he would also ask him if he wanted to sit with him at lunch or come to the skate park with him and his friends. Lucas liked him and he said yes to sitting with them but he never met with him or his friends outside of school. He didn’t want to build any close friendships just to say goodbye to them in four months or less. And he had a feeling that these guys could actually become really good friends. They were really funny and so chill, had an enthusiasm for weed, which Lucas could appreciate and they seemed to share the same three braincells the way Kes, Jayden and him did. 

When he had a moment of weakness he found himself enjoying their company maybe too much, especially that of Jens. He was the one that asked him to join them in the first place. Sometimes Lucas would find himself staring at Jens’s face, especially at those beautiful brown eyes for a tad too long to be considered platonic. Jens made Lucas feel actually welcome in Antwerp, he had a way of making him laugh even when Lucas didn’t really feel like it, he was so chill Lucas couldn’t help but relax in the time that he spend with him at school. Sometimes it even seemed that Jens was staring at him as well, and that the accidental brushing of their thighs and arms when they were sitting next to each other wasn’t all that accidental. 

But that was dangerous for Lucas. He didn’t want to develop feelings and the longer he thought about Jens the more he could picture himself falling for him. Hard. However, he knew he would leave Antwerp behind him after school was over. From very early on he always wanted to take a gap year after school. He didn’t want to start university right after school had ended, he wanted to spend his youth travelling, take the chance to see the world a bit. And even after that year he definitely wasn’t planning on coming back to Antwerp. He wanted to study art in Utrecht, where all of his friends would be. Lucas was grateful that he had some friends at school, but ultimately he kept his distance and never really let them get close to him. 

When he passed all his exams with more or less promising results he applied for a working holiday visa in New Zealand. He always wanted to go there, to the end of the world, at least for him. He wanted to be as far away as possible from his father, his life in Antwerp and just generally escape the seriousness of life for at least a year before he started university.

But before he could get on the plane that would take him to the land of hobbits and sheep he had to go to his graduation. He spend the evening with Jens, Robbe, Moyo and Aaron. Robbe’s boyfriend also joined them later as his plus one. Lucas couldn’t remember his name anymore but he could still recall the bleached blonde hair, that looked like a fluffy white cloud. For that one evening Lucas decided to just let loose. He didn’t have to study for anymore tests and in a few days he would be off to enjoy his freedom for at least a year. The evening was spend dancing, laughing and getting high and drunk with Jens and his friends. 

His boundaries and walls came down for the night and he couldn’t resit when Jens requested to dance with him, especially when Jens looked so hot tonight and just kept looking at Lucas like he thought the same about him. Maybe he drank too much because when the song changed to a slow tune, he didn’t stop dancing with Jens but instead stepped closer and put his arms around his neck. Jens seemed surprised but didn’t make a move to leave. The opposite really, his hands found Lucas’s waist and pulled him even closer, so their chest were pressed together. Lucas put his head on Jens’s shoulder and buried it in the crook of his neck. He knew he was drunk and that he wouldn't do it sober, but he felt so comfortable there and when Jens laid his head on top of Lucas’s, there was nothing in this world that could make Lucas move from the space in Jens’s arms.

They were just holding each other and gently swaying back and forth. Lucas didn’t know how long they danced like that but he has never felt more alive, comfortable and safe than he did in this moment. He wished he could’ve stayed like that forever. But then he felt Jens lift his head and Lucas looked up into his gaze. They stared at each other’s eyes, brown into blue and blue into brown. There was a silent question passing through their gaze and all Lucas could do was slowly nod his head. Jens leaned forward and pressed his lips softly to Lucas’s. The kiss was gentle and so very sweet it nearly caused Lucas knees to buckle. As if Jens knew that Lucas needed some stability he raised his hands to hold Lucas’s face gently between his fingers. Lucas drifted his hands through Jens’s hair, because he had always wanted to know what that would feel like. 

When they broke apart the song had long since changed and they just stared at each other in wonder. Lucas couldn’t help himself. He needed Jens’ comfort and he hugged him tightly without saying anything. Jens wrapped his arms around Lucas and held him safely, seeming to understand what Lucas needed right now. 

They both knew that this was not a beginning of something but rather something inevitable, something they have been dancing around since Jens invited Lucas to sit with him. But it was also a goodbye. Jens knew that Lucas would leave in just two days and probably never come back to Antwerp. They didn’t talk a lot, just held each other close during the rest of the evening.

Jens walked him home. The atmosphere was quiet, calm and comfortable as if they knew each other longer than just those moments of school lunches and history classes. After they walked for five minutes Lucas hesitantly grabbed Jens hand and interlinked their fingers. Jens started caressing Lucas hand with his thumb immediately. When they arrived at his doorstep they just stared at each other not really knowing what to say. They didn’t want to screw up what could potentially be their last words to each other. 

Lucas kept it simple. “Thank you, Jens.” Jens raised his hand, caressed his cheekbone with his thumb and leaned in to kiss Lucas softly on the lips. He seemed to understand exactly what Lucas meant with that. “You’re welcome, Luc. I hope you know that I don’t regret this. I know the chances of seeing you again are small, but I’m glad we got to share these moments.” Lucas didn’t know what to say. All he could do is to reciprocate Jens’s earnest gaze and pull him even closer. 

“I will miss you.” With that he kissed Lucas one last time and then turned around to leave. Lucas was too stunned to say anything else but when he saw Jens turning the corner he whispered a “I’ll miss you, too” into the cold night air for no one to hear except himself. His lips could still feel the tingling sweet sensation of Jens’s lips pressed on his as he entered the house and got ready for a sleep filled with dreams of Jens. 

This was a memory that Lucas would often look back on during his time in New Zealand and even after that when he was back in Utrecht, starting his studies. He was torn between trying to forget it because sometimes it hurt to think of the wasted opportunity he had with Jens. But the memory was just too beautiful and too cherished by Lucas, that he could never really bring himself to erase it from his mind. Even when he got his first boyfriend at the start of his second year, the thought of Jens never really completely left his mind. He was his first real kiss and his first experience of feeling something so heartachingly real, instead of the hook ups with girls at parties that he pretended to enjoy in Utrecht.

His boyfriend broke up with him in his last semester of university because he found someone else. Lucas was heartbroken, they were together for two and half years after all, but ultimately he saw that he hasn’t been happy anymore either. He threw himself into his studies and was rewarded by graduating with the second highest grade possible. 

Job hunting wasn’t easy, but when he stopped narrowing it down to just the Netherlands and started looking for art galleries in Belgium as well he found one that fit him perfectly. Its owners are Sander Driesen and Noor Bauwens. Lucas doesn’t know why but the first name seems oddly familiar to him. He got the job after an interview with Noor and moved to Antwerp a week later. Although Lucas never pictured himself moving back to Antwerp he really liked the sound of this job and he needs the experience. Finding a flat wasn’t easy but he managed to snatch a cozy single bedroom apartment that even had a balcony. 

When it became clear that he would really move back to Antwerp and especially once he actually moved in he found himself thinking of Jens more and more. He would think of scenarios where he would accidentally run into him in a supermarket or at a bar. He would start to wonder how he would react and if he would recognise him immediately. After all, five years have passed since they have last seen each other. Lucas tried to come up with things to say when he would finally see him again. On bad days he would sometimes think that he made up a Jens in his head, that he remembers him differently than he actually was. But that was stupid, Lucas remembers vividly the last words he said to him. “I don’t regret this” and “I will miss you.” 

He only lived and worked in Antwerp for three weeks before the invitation came. He took it as a sign to stop hoping for chance encounters with Jens but instead to actually take some action into seeing him again. He was terrified but there was nothing that he wanted to do more. So, in the end it was an easy decision to send his confirmation and to await the day of the reunion party, which was three weeks away. In the meantime he actually settles in quite nicely into his new life in Antwerp. The job is exactly what Lucas wanted and his bosses Sander and Noor are just so nice and one of the most creative persons Lucas has met. He really thinks they could become his friends with time. Lucas still misses Kes and Jayden but they promised each other that they would try and visit regularly, it’s only an hour anyway.

And even though he had enough time to prepare for the reunion the thought about what to actually wear for an event like this came exactly two hours before he had to be there. Lucas is kind of freaking out. Is it casual or formal? Is he supposed to wear a suit? The invitation didn’t say anything regarding this so Lucas chooses something in between. He wears well fitted black jeans in which his ass looks great, or so Kes always says, combined with a loose floral shirt that looks fancy enough to pass the dress code should it turn out that this is a formal event. He quickly sends a picture to the group chat, looking for their approval. 

**Kes**  
you look hot  
I like the jeans  
they bring out your ass ;) 

**Jayden**  
damn Luc, dress to impress? 

**Kes**  
Jayden  
you know exactly who he wants to impress, right Luc?  
go get your man ;) 

**Lucas**  
you guys are annoying  
I don’t even know if he’ll be there

 **Kes**  
he’ll be there. don’t worry.  
and if not, I’ll come over next weekend and we’ll get drunk.  
so you can whine about him some more. 

**Lucas**  
I do not whine about him 

**Jayden**  
oh no what if doesn’t like me  
oh no what if Jens doesn’t remember me  
oh no what if he is not there

 **Kes**  
he has a point 

**Lucas**  
fuck you guys  
I don’t sound like that  
okay maybe I do but I’m just so nervous 

**Kes**  
you got this Luc, stop stressing  
from what you told me about him he will definitely remember you  
just be your usual charming self and he will fall right in love with you again

 **Jayden**  
he would be stupid not to like you anymore okay?  
he liked you in high school and he will like you now

 **Lucas**  
thanks guys, that actually helped a bit  
you are still annoying tho

 **Kes**  
love you too

 **Jayden**  
what he said

Smiling Lucas exits out of their conversation and checks the time. It’s definitely time to go, he checks if he has everything, keys, wallet, phone and then he is on his way. When he gets on the exact same bus that he would always take to get to school he feels a memory bubbling up in his mind. 

It was maybe his second week in Antwerp after his father made him move. Lucas was already on the bus when he saw that guy from his history class get on as well. He wasn’t staring. Really, he wasn’t. Okay, maybe he was because the guy slowly turned around as if he could feel his gaze and his face lit up, but Lucas couldn’t tell why. He started to make his way over to Lucas and sat down next to him. “Hi, I’m Jens. We have history together right?” For a few moments Lucas froze up at Jens so close to him but quickly shook himself out of it. This is just small talk, surely he could do that with a beautiful boy. “Yeah, we do. I sit a few rows behind you. I’m Lucas.” Jens smiled widely. “Hi Lucas, nice to finally talk to you.” Before Lucas could ask what he means by that Jens continued. “So you’re new here right? Wanna sit with me and my friends at lunch? I noticed that you usually sit alone. Only if you want to of course.” His voice was friendly and filled with no judgement at all when he said that he saw Lucas eat alone. It made him feel welcome here for the first time since he moved. Everyone else just stared at him and he heard them gossip behind his back. So he agreed. Jens just seemed so chill, Lucas felt himself instantly relax. They made some more small talk on their way to school and that was the start of his daily bus rides to school with the boy he had been eyeing since he entered the history classroom for the first time. 

The first real interaction he ever had with Jens is still playing in his mind and he nearly misses his stop. He gets off and makes his way over to his old school clutching the invitation in his hand. There are a few people already milling around on the lawn but he recognises none of them. To be honest he only really remembers Jens and the boys from his time here and he feels a bit out of place, like he shouldn’t be here. These people have spend at least three years together and he was only there for the last four month, speaking to no one except for Jens, Moyo, Aaron and Robbe. He is contemplating to leave when he sees someone coming up towards him. 

It’s Sander. Lucas is confused. What’s his boss doing here? He is two years older than him, he couldn’t have gone to school here, at least not when he was there. Then he notices the boy next to him and the arm that is wrapped around his waist. It’s been five years but Lucas recognises the brown curls and the dimples around his smile anyway. Robbe. And now Lucas knows why his boss his here. The white fluffly hair is gone, back to what Lucas assumes is his natural brown colour. But he recognises now that he is the boyfriend that Robbe brought to their graduation night. Now he knows why his name sounded so familiar.

“Hey Lucas, long time no see”, says Sander with a cheeky smile. They have just seen each other today. They had a new collection coming in and Sander asked him if he could come by to help. Before he could answer though, Robbe suddenly pulled Lucas into a crushing hug and says: “You really came! I’m so happy you’re here. It’s been so long! How are you?” 

Lucas is a bit perplexed. He hadn’t thought that Robbe would be so excited to see him again. After all they only knew each other for a very short time. But he finds himself hugging back, because he really liked Robbe and he doesn’t seem to have changed a lot. 

“I’m good, honestly. Just surprised to see my boss here”, he says with a laugh. Technically Sander really is his boss. But from the moment he met him he said he should call him Sander, that he didn’t believe in a work hierarchy and that if Lucas has any creative input he is always free to share. 

“Sander is my boyfriend”, answers Robbe with a wide smile and heart eyes, stating the obvious. 

“I know. I remember now.” He turns to Sander again. “You were at our graduation. You still had that white hair.” With that Sander snorts and says: “Sin of my past.” Robbe hits him lightly on the chest. “Hey, don’t you ever regret that hairstyle. I’ll have you know, sometimes I really miss that hair of yours. When I first saw you I thought you looked like an angel.” Robbe lifts his head in a silent way of asking for a kiss and Sander leans down to give his boyfriend a quick peck.

Lucas has to look away. They are so sickenly sweet and still as in love as Lucas remembers from that one night. He really misses that kind of intimacy. The last time he had that was when he and his ex-boyfriends were still happy together. That was over a year ago now. 

Robbe grabs his attention again by pulling at his arm and starting to walk into the building where the party would be. “Come on, lets go inside. The others are already there.” 

Lucas freezes. “The others?” Even he himself hears how insecure his voice sounds but “the others” implies that Jens is also there. Now he isn’t so sure anymore if he is really ready to see him again. Robbe seems to notice that and eyes him with a knowing smile. 

“Yeah, you know. The whole gang. Moyo, Aaron. Oh and Jens, of course. You remember them, right?” His tone is teasing, of course he knows that he remembers them. But Lucas can’t concentrate on a witty comeback. 

“Yeah. Yeah, of course I remember them.” His voice is rough and he feels his throat closing at the nervousness that overcomes him. The sudden realization that he will actually see Jens again after all this time suddenly hits him like a ton of bricks.

“Well, come on then.” Robbe pulls him along and Lucas isn’t strong enough to resist. His old friend still has that smile on his face that knows way to much and that does nothing to calm his nerves. 

The room is big. Lucas wasn’t even aware of this room when he went to school there. But he is distracted by all the decorations and people that are already there. Somebody put some real effort into this reunion party. The ceiling is full of colourful balloons and long strings of confetti are hanging from them. There is a banner on the wall that reads class of 2015 with a big picture of all the students from their year, that they took right after getting their report card. There even is a DJ booth and people are already using the dance floor to dance to some pop song that’s currently in the charts. 

While he is still admiring the decoration and the effort that was put into the party, Robbe suddenly stops pulling at his arm and comes to a stop behind a group of boys, that seemed to be talking very enthusiastically about something Lucas can’t hear.

“Hey boys, look who’s here!” Robbe’s voice nearly bursts from excitement and beside him Sander looks at him fondly. But then they all turn around and Lucas only has eyes for one person. Jens. He can’t believe it. After five years he finally stands in front of him again. He hasn’t changed one bit. No scratch that, he is even more gorgeous than Lucas remembers. His outfit is not helping either to prevent Lucas from literally drooling all over him. Jens wears a tight fitting dark grey jeans with a dark blue button down. His sleeves are pulled up revealing a tattoo to Lucas that he didn’t have when they knew each other. And Lucas is kind of glad because he doesn’t think he would have survived the sexiness of Jens with a tattoo. He tears his eyes away from his arms and looks into those beautiful brown eyes that Lucas could have stared at forever when he was seventeen and finds them staring back with an expression that is divided in genuine surprise and disbelief. 

“Luc?” Jens’s voice is low and full of shock and Lucas melts at the mention of his nickname out of Jens’s mouth. But before he can say anything he is pulled into a tight group hug by Moyo and Aaron. 

“Lucas, man. It’s good to see you. How have you been?” Lucas doesn’t really know who of them asked the question but when he is free of their embrace he quickly looks at both of them, then back at Jens and directs his answer to him. 

“Good. I’ve been good.” His throat is still a bit dry, his voice comes out croaky and he still can’t stop staring at Jens. He seems to have the same problem because they just stand there dumbfounded, looking at each other, without saying anything. 

Out of the corner of his eyes he notices Moyo, Aaron and Robbe just looking back and forth between him and Jens which is followed by the sounds of them snickering. 

“Come on guys, that’s our cue to leave. Let’s give them some time to catch up.” With that Robbe pulls his old friends and Sander away from Jens and him. He faintly hears how Aaron protests as they walk away. “I wanna catch up with him, too. Why can’t we stay?” And then they are alone with each other. 

Jens takes a step closer and just keeps staring at him. Lucas is too overwhelmed to come up with something to say to the man who would never completely leave his thoughts for the last five years. Thankfully it’s Jens that starts, just like back in the day. His voice is soft.

“Hi, Luc.”

“Hi, Jens.” 

It’s silent again. Weirdly enough it’s not uncomfortable but it’s also getting kind of ridiculous how they just keep smiling at each other. They seem to have the same thought because they just start laughing at exactly the same time. Lucas hasn’t heard Jens laugh in over five years and he forgot how beautiful that sound is. He decides to say something before he can continues to just stare at Jens and his breathtaking smile. 

“It’s so cliché, but it’s really nice to see you again. How have you been?” 

Jens laughter fades out but he doesn’t stop smiling. “I’ve been really good. Yeah, uhm, I just finished university.” 

“Did you end up studying music?” The question is out if Lucas’s mouth before he can think about it. Jens mentioned that once on one of their bus rides home and Lucas hopes Jens doesn’t find it creepy that he still remembers that. 

“Yeah, actually. You remembered?” He doesn’t seem to be weirded out just genuinely surprised and Lucas feels relieve flush over him. Still he tries to deflect a bit. Jens doesn’t have to know how gone he still is for him. At least not yet. 

“Huh, yeah, just a good memory I guess.” He tries to sound nonchalant and when he looks up he thinks he sees disappointment in Jens’s face. His expression changes very quickly however and Lucas thinks he may have imagined it. 

“So, what did you do in the last five years? How was New Zealand?”

Lucas huffs out an amused laugh. “You want me sum up the last five years of my life in one short answer Jens?” 

“No, we have all evening actually.” Jens answering smile is wide and hopeful and Lucas feels his stomach tighten in the best way possible. He looks at Jens and can’t cloud his excitement when he returns his smile. 

“Well, where do you want me to start?” 

The next hours are just filled with them catching up. At one point they sit down next to each other on the chairs that stand right under the banner. He tells Jens that his year in New Zealand was the best year of his life so far, even if that sounds cliché, he tells him about his studies in Utrecht and how happy he was when he finally saw his friends again. He tells him about the job he found here and that he moved to Antwerp just six weeks ago. At that he thinks he sees Jens’ eyes light up with hope and his smile getting even wider. Lucas tries not to think too much about what that could mean. 

In return he finds out that Jens spontaneously took six months off after school to travel with the boys. They had been all over Europe, in Berlin, Prague, Madrid, Rome, London and so on. After that he started to study music at the University of Antwerp and just recently got a job as headhunter for young talented Belgian artist at a small indie record label here in Antwerp. Lucas gets lost in the feeling of how easy it is to talk to Jens. It feels familiar but also so very new. In the time he spend with Jens when they were teenagers he never really let his walls down and tried to keep his distance as best as he could while developing a huge crush nonetheless. But now nothing is holding him back. No walls, no distance, no knowing that he has to leave soon because for the foreseeable future, Lucas’s life is here in Antwerp. And he really wants Jens to be a part of it. 

When Lucas mentions his ex-boyfriend and how it ended between them, Jens gets this look in his eyes like he is ready to throw him to the ground should he ever come close to Lucas again. Lucas has to laugh and he gently pats Jens’ arm with his hand just to let it stay there. “Relax Jens, he didn’t cheat. At least as far as he told me. He just found someone new. We weren’t happy with each other anymore. It just took me longer to realize.” Jens looks at the hand that Lucas placed on his arm and has this almost nervous expression cross his face when he looks up again. 

“And are you happy now? With someone else, I mean?” Jens sounds like he is trying to coat his voice in indifference but Lucas is sure he hears the earnest curiosity behind it. He has to smile. He can’t believe Jens is asking him that question. The man who was in his thoughts constantly since he moved here. As if he could be happy with someone else when the possibility of seeing Jens again was in his mind at least once every day. He doesn’t say that of course. 

“No. I mean, yes, I’m still happy. But I haven’t found someone new.” Jens ducks his head in order to try and hide his smile at that answer. Hope begins to bloom in Lucas’s chest that only expands when Jens looks at him again with a happy smile, especially when he says: “That’s good.” 

“It is?” Lucas really hopes this means what he thinks it means. That it’s good, because Jens wants to be that someone. God, he wants Jens to be that someone so much. He can’t believe that even after five years his crush on Jens is back at full force just after an hour of conversation with him. It also terrifies him a little bit if he is honest with himself. When Jens is concerned all of Lucas self protecting mechanisms seem to shut down and just let him fall. Whether he will be caught or not.

Jens doesn’t answer, just abruptly stands up from the chair he’s been sitting on, stretches his hand out toward Lucas and demands: “Dance with me.” His tone is excited but also leaves no room for an argument. Not that Lucas was planning on denying him such a request anyway, he wasn’t even sure he could. He grabs Jens’s hand and lets him lead them to the dance floor that has been filling up with more and more people in the time since he got here. 

He doesn’t know the song that is currently playing but it doesn’t matter. Jens doesn’t let go of his hands and he makes Lucas do all kinds of ridiculous moves. He spins him around, then spins him back into his arms again and Lucas doesn’t know when he has last laughed this much. The butterflies in his stomach are flying around uncontrollably whenever Jens pulls him closer or laughs that beautiful laugh of his. At one point the other boys join them in their ridiculous dance moves and Jens leaves for a short time in the direction of the DJ. When he comes back they all form a circle on the dance floor trying to one up each other in coming up with the funniest move. It’s like a dance battle of who looks more ridiculous. 

Lucas was right in his feeling that these boys could’ve been great friends. As he dances with them he kind of regrets that he didn’t let them in just because he was afraid of saying goodbye. Especially when he thinks of Jens. He wonders how things could have gone differently if he had tried to keep in contact with him. But now is not the time to think about what ifs. Lucas just wants to enjoy his evening with Jens and his friends. Since he moved to Antwerp he has never felt this relaxed and happy. 

When Lucas hears the first note of the song he can’t believe it. This is some Disney level shit. It can’t be. Are they really playing the exact same song that he and Jens slow danced to when they were in high school? The boys sit down except for Sander and Robbe who already hold each other in a close embrace, swaying back and force a few metres away from them. He glances at Jens apprehensively and finds him already looking at him with an intrigued and hopeful smile. Lucas takes a hesitant steps towards Jens and puts his arms around his neck. As Jens puts his arms around his waist Lucas can’t help but comment: “I’m having a weird sense of deja vu.”

Jens just smiles widely at him and pulls him even closer. Their faces are only centimetres apart and they stare in each others eyes while they are gently swaying side to side. They haven’t talked about the moment they shared when they were younger but now Lucas doesn’t think they need to. With the way Jens is holding and looking at him, he is sure that he remembers it just as clearly Lucas does. The urge to lean forward and kiss him seems to overwhelm Lucas. 

But as much as he wants to do just that he also doesn’t want to fuck this up by rushing into it. His feelings for Jens are already so intense and he is afraid that he will scare him off if he kisses him right now. Sure, Jens seems to remember what they had in high school but that doesn’t mean that he wants to kiss Lucas again right? And if he did, that wouldn’t automatically mean that he wants to see Lucas after this evening is over. Maybe this is just a one time thing for Jens, a chance to get lost in some nostalgia. I mean technically they barely know each other, Lucas couldn’t really be disappointed if Jens decided he doesn’t want to see him again after tonight. He feels his thoughts begin to spiral but then Jens pulls him out his head. 

“Luc, I can see you overthinking behind your pretty blue eyes. Just relax and enjoy this deja vu, okay?” Jens voice is so soft and calm Lucas can’t help but comply. He leans his head on his shoulder and just breathes him in. He feels how his shoulders loose the tension and his arms relax behind Jens’s neck. The other boy seems to fall into him as well. His head falls on top of Lucas’s and the arms around his waist run up and down his back in a soothing motion. They bask in each others comfort until the song changes into something faster and only reluctantly break apart when the people around them erupt into cheers and wild dance movements. Jens pulls him away from the dance floor and out into the quiet courtyard of their old school, saying he needs some fresh air. 

With the cool night air Lucas sobers up a bit from being so drunk on Jens’s presence. Now that he is thrown out of the romantic bubble he has been in it suddenly hits him. It wasn’t some Disney miracle that the song was playing. He tries to keep a serious expression because he wants to tease Jens as much as possible but he can’t control the huge smile that breaks out on his face.

“Jens? Did you go to the DJ to request that song?” 

“What? No…, of course not.” Lucas just raises his eyebrows at him with an expression that translates to I don’t believe you for a second. Jens totally did. That smooth fucker. Or well, not so smooth if Lucas figured it out, but he isn’t about to complain. 

Jens sighs in defeat. “I’m really not subtle at all, huh?” 

“I don’t know what you mean, Jens. Whispering into my ear that you’ll be back, then wondering off into the direction of the DJ and seconds later that song starts playing? Only a true master of deduction like myself could’ve figured that out.” Lucas can’t stop smiling. Teasing Jens is so much fun.

Jens laughs and playfully pushes Lucas away only to take his hand and pull him closer again.

“Alright, alright, Sherlock Holmes. You got me there.” They smile at each other and then seem to loose themselves in each others eyes again. It seems to become a pattern with them this evening. Then Lucas becomes aware of the gravity of Jens action. The teasing quality of Lucas’s voice is completely gone and replaced with quiet amazement.

“You really remembered the song?” Jens’s gaze gets softer, if that was even possible. He raises one hand and gently places it on the side of Lucas face, caressing his cheek. Lucas has a hard time not leaning into that touch, still he can’t help but close his eyes for a second and letting out a content sigh. 

“As if I could forget anything that reminds me of you.” 

Lucas is stunned. Under any other circumstances he would make fun of people saying something as cheesy as this. Especially when it is directed at him. But it’s Jens. And Jens has always been the exception for Lucas. Everything he does just makes Lucas fall harder for him. His eyes are full of wonder as he is staring into Jens’s. He can’t help it when his gaze falls down to Jens’s so very soft looking lips. When he returns his gaze to those chocolate brown eyes he finds them staring at his lips as well. 

“Jens… You’re making it really hard for me not to kiss you right now.” 

Jens sucks in a breath. He continues to look at Lucas lips when he asks: “Why are you holding back?” 

It’s hard for Lucas to think when their lips are basically already touching He can feel Jens’ breath across his lips and goosebumps erupt all the way down his spine. But in the back of his mind he knows why. He takes a step back so that Jens’s hand that was cradling Lucas’ face falls back to his side. 

“Luc?” Jens seems confused but doesn’t make a move to close the distance again.

Lucas takes a steadying breath and tries to sort his thoughts. “Jens, this is so… I mean, after five years you’re really here and I just… Everything feels so surreal and just like that night in high school and I can’t… I don’t know what this means. I don’t want this to be just a deja vu. I don’t want to leave here with just another memory of basically the same night.”

Jens hesitantly takes a step towards Lucas again and slowly reaches for his hand giving Lucas the chance of moving away if he wanted to. He doesn’t. Jens’ hold on his hand is gentle and his thumb begins to draw soothing circles over Lucas’ wrist. 

“And what do you want, then?” His voice is gentle but also full of desire to understand Lucas’ reluctance. Lucas feels so vulnerable right now but he just has to say it. 

“Jens, you have no idea how hard it was to get over you after that night. But I knew that I had to because I knew I would never come back, or at least I thought so. That’s why I kept my distance in the first place. But that night I just couldn’t and I tried to forget you and for some time it actually seemed to work but you never really completely went away. Eventually you would always pop right back into my mind.” Lucas releases a shaky breath but Jens seems to notice that he isn’t finished yet and lets him take his time to continue explaining. Lucas takes another breath and continues.

“And now you’re here again after five years and you remember the song and everything just feels the same. But I don’t want it to be the same. I don’t want the night to end with you saying goodbye again. God, I sound so dramatic.” Lucas huff out a laugh but it holds no humour. 

“Luc, relax. You are not dramatic. If me requesting the song made you uncomfortable somehow, I’m sorry.” 

“What? No, Jens. That was probably the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”

Jens seems to be back to being confused. Lucas can’t blame him. He really isn’t doing a great job of explaining here. “Then what’s the problem?” 

Another steadying breath. “I don’t want this to be just an exact copy of the night in high school. I don’t want you to walk me home and that being it, you know?” 

Jens seems to understand and as he slowly nods his head, his eyes lighten up with hope but his voice has a teasing quality to it. “So, basically, what you’re saying is you want to see me again after this? Go on dates, be boyfriends and all that? Because I have to tell you. That was my plan from the moment I turned around and saw you. I wasn’t gonna let you get away again.”

Jens just seems to have that ability of making Lucas speechless. He needs a few moments before he can answer, still just looking in Jens’s warm gaze and blinking in disbelief. Still he takes a step closer because suddenly the distance is way to big between them and he wants to be back in Jens’s comforting warmth. 

“Okay.” That is all his mind could come up with after the words that just left Jens’s mouth. 

Jens huffs out a laugh and just repeats his last word with a tone in his voice that could be described as endeared. “Okay? Okay?? That is all you say after I poured my heart out for you?” 

Okay, this is teasing. Lucas can handle teasing. It’s familiar territory. “What do you mean? Who of us just confessed his giant ass crush of five years first? Excuse me for lacking an eloquent answer when I find out that you feel the same!” 

“Awww, Luc. You have a crush on me? That’s embarrassing.” Jens voice is so full of cheek, he really thinks he did something there. Lucas hits Jens on his arms but he can’t help but laugh at the smug expression on Jens’ face. 

“You asshole, you’re not as funny as you think you are, you know?” 

“Well, it clearly made you laugh, so… who wins, really?” Jens smiles at him wide and happy and Lucas can’t believe he got that lucky. He takes another step closer to Jens and wraps his arms around his middle pulling him close. Jens’ arms land on his shoulders and with one hand he begins to play with the strands of Lucas’s hair.

“I win, because you have a crush on me, too.” 

“Well, in that case… Don’t we both win?” Lucas pulls a face of amused disgust. Maybe there is a limit of cheesiness he can endure, even if it comes from Jens himself. Jens seems to read his thoughts. 

“Too cheesy?” He says with a smile. 

“I think we have reached the limit of cheese for tonight.” As they stand so close together now, they both can’t seem to help themselves, because their gazes drop to each others mouths once again. Lucas wets his lips and he can’t take his eyes of Jens’ as he does the same. When he looks up again Jens’ gaze seems questioning.

“Does that mean, that I can’t kiss you now?” His voice is barely above a whisper and Lucas can feel Jens’ breath across his lips. He leans forward even more so their lips brush in the faintest of touches.

“No, you can definitely still kiss me,” Lucas whispers back and feels how his lips brush against Jens’ as he speaks. He feels shivers run down his whole body. 

Then Jens closes the remaining distance and finally presses his soft lips against Lucas’. While their lips brush against each other Lucas tries his best not to melt into a puddle in Jens’ arms. Lucas feels a shift and slowly their kisses turn from soft brushes to hard presses. The hand in Lucas’ hair tightens its grip. He lets himself sink even further into the comfort of Jens’ body and opens his mouth to gently bite his bottom lip. Jens lets out a low moan and kisses Lucas even harder. This kiss has nothing of the innocence their first kiss had. Their first kiss was a way of saying goodbye. This kiss is the beginning of something new and just the first of hopefully many more to follow. Lucas thinks he could kiss Jens forever but the need for air can’t be ignored.

When they break apart they are both a bit breathless and just stare at each other while smiling widely. Lucas begins to laugh, he is just so happy. Jens seems the same because he huffs out a disbelieving kind of chuckle and pulls Lucas into a hug. 

“God, Luc, you have no idea how much I missed you.” Jens whispers into the crook of Lucas’ neck. When he pulls back he looks him in the eyes with a vulnerable expression and continues with a soft voice: “It was really hard for me getting over you, too, you know? Just ask Robbe and the boys. On our trip I couldn’t stop whining about you. I know we said we reached our limit of cheese, but…” 

Jens trails off and Lucas nudges him to continue while he rubs the tip of his nose against Jens’. “What?” 

“Okay, well, you have been warned. This is gonna get cheesy.” 

“I think I can take it.” 

“Well, you know how I first talked to you on the bus?” Lucas nods. “I wanted to talk to you for so long, since I saw you walking into that history classroom. But I never found the courage and then I saw you on the bus and I just said fuck it. And from then on every time we’d hang out I was so happy that I talked to you that day. I knew you were keeping up your walls but, Luc, even so… The glimpses you would show me were enough for me to fall for you. You were so beautiful, with those big blue eyes and your cute blonde curls… I have never felt something like this before. And then our graduation night happened and for the first time you were so free and happy and completely yourself and I knew I fell in love with you. But I knew you were not gonna come back and that broke my heart. Getting over you was so hard and just like you said, I never really did.” 

Jens releases a shaky breath when he’s finished and eyes Lucas apprehensively. He just looks at him in wonder and pulls him into crushing hug. Hearing that those four months mean as much to Jens as they do to him just overwhelmed him and he needs to make sure that Jens is actually here, that he didn’t dream it. When he pulls back he gently puts his hands on both sides of Jens face and presses a quick soft kiss to his lips. 

“I missed you so much. You’re like the only one that made those four months even bearable for me, maybe the boys as well. But mostly just you.” 

“Okay not that I don’t appreciate the nostalgia and the compliments but lets not focus on our past anymore okay?” 

“And what should we focus on then?” Lucas says with a tone in his voice that implies that he knows exactly what he wants to focus on now. He leans in for a kiss but before he can press their lips together once again he can feel Jens lips speak against his. 

“Our future.” 

And Lucas can’t even complain about the cheesy one liner because it’s coming from Jens and he said it with such sincerity that he can’t help but smile against Jens mouth. As he finally closes the remaining distance between their lips excitement begins to fill Lucas stomach because he realises, their future starts now.

**2 Months earlier:**

“Hey Robbe, did I tell you? Noor and I finally found someone for the position in the gallery.” Sander says while they sit on their couch eating pizza and watching a movie that doesn’t really interest them.

Robbe just shakes his head slightly while taking a bite out of his pizza and making a sound that sounds like he wants Sander to continue. 

“His name is Lucas. He is from the Netherlands and studied art in Utrecht. I didn’t speak with him but Noor said that she immediately liked the guy and I trust her opinion, so we hired him.” 

At that Robbe puts his pizza down and looks at Sander with a calculating gaze. It couldn’t be the Lucas he knows. I mean what are the chances, there are probably lots of guys called Lucas in the Netherlands that also studied art. But he has to make sure. 

“Lucas you said? And his last name?” At that, Sander is a bit confused but answers anyway. 

“Van der Heijden why?” 

Robbe’s eyes widen in surprise and disbelief. That has to be him. Lucas really moved back? He immediately thinks of Jens. Sander laughs at the obvious shock on his face and his voice is intrigued when he asks: “Robbe, what’s got you looking so shocked? Do you know this guy?” 

Robbe’s voice is filled with excitement when he answers. “Yes!! And you do, too. You met him, on the night of my graduation. He is _the_ Lucas, Sander! Lucas that Jens was so in love with. The one he couldn’t stop whining about after high school.” 

Sander’s eyes widen in realization and his mouth forms a silent oh. “Oh my god, Robbe! You have to tell Jens. He will be so happy!” 

Robbe reaches for his phone to tell his best friend that his high school love is back in town but then a plan begins to form in Robbe’s mind and Sander seems to read that look on his boyfriend’s face quite right and smiles knowingly.

“Robbe, what kind of plan is developing in your pretty little brain?” 

“If he is your employee, you have an address right? I want to send him an invitation to our reunion party.” 

“Sure, I’ll ask Noor for it tomorrow. And then you’re gonna tell Jens?” 

An amused smile spreads across Robbe’s face. He looks at Sander mischievously and says in a smug kind of voice: “No, I don’t think I will. It’s gonna be a surprise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! I hope you liked it and if you did, leave a Kudo? <3


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